*happy: at least in the case of epson printers, mas mahal consumables ng higher end inkjets, kasi DuraBrite na ang gamit. AFAIK wala pang compatible na cartridge that uses it.

i was actually considering the C65, pero nung nalaman kong DuraBrite sya e C45 na lang kinuha ko, although alam kong the printouts wouldn't be as nice. plus, puro text lang naman piniprint ko e B).

i *can* site a case where your statement applies though: there was this printer swap promo a few years back; trade in mo ung sirang printer mo, you get a brand new Lexmark printer. ang problema, walang ink cartridge, tapos walang compatibles, puro orig lang -- which were very expensive. so, initial cost mo zero, kaso patay ka sa consumables B).